The spring garden is poised to offer up some lovely vegetables flavor combos, and just as we begin to imagine that it is happening, farmer’s markets are coming alive with the bounty! The potato – leek duo, celebrated here in this lovely Spring frittata recipe, is annually elevated by the traditions of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday celebrations. Potato Leek Soup readily comes to mind when planning an Irish fete and part of the reason for this association is that in Ireland, potatoes and leeks are vegetables that can be pulled from the cellars of the fall harvests. Depending on where you live, however, you will soon find theses beauties of the spring harvest at your markets.

Are you lucky enough to be familiar with the earthy fragrance of a freshly dug bed of “new potatoes”? The tiny jewels of the warm spring earth are tenderly lifted by hand, in eager anticipation, from the mulched, raised beds, taking great care not to damage the remainder of the pommes that will swell and mature into the main season crop. Gardeners themselves are the true fortunate as they imbibe in the tactile and aromatic spring ritual – the smell of the warming earth and moist dirt under their fingernails.

If you enjoy Easter Brunch, this lovely spring egg dish will make a fitting centerpiece. Breakfast for dinner, as we sometimes call it, is another delicious way to celebrate spring as you enjoy this Smoked Salmon, Potato and Leek frittata. I will serve spring radishes with truffled butter to further accentuate the season.

This breakfast frittata is the perfect spring-time brunch centerpiece and can be prepared and ready in less than 45 minutes. A one dish meal!

Author: Maria Baldwin

Recipe type: Brunch

Serves: 5 servings

Ingredients

1 cup Fingerling or Gold Potatoes, diced

1 Leek, halved and sliced

4-5 medium Shiitake Mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

4 oz Smoked Salmon

4 Eggs

1 cup Milk

½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp white pepper and a dash of nutmeg

2-3 Tbsp. Parsley, chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, shredded

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Butter

Instructions

Chop and prepare your "mise en place" of all ingredients. Mix eggs and milk together with salt, white pepper and nutmeg.

Saute leek in 1 butter for 3 minutes until tender and somewhat translucent.

Add mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes more.

Set mushrooms and leeks aside.

Add olive oil to the pan and saute the potatoes until they are lightly browned and beginning to get tender.

Return the leeks and mushrooms to the pan. Season lightly with salt.

Add smoked salmon chunks and stir to warm the salmon.

Add the egg/milk mixture to the pan while it is sizzling warm and gently stir with a spatula for about 1 minute to begin to cook the eggs.

Immediately dust the frittata with parsley, lemon zest and parmesan cheese and place in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until the eggs are set and the top of the frittata is lightly browned and blistered.

Serve and Enjoy!

Notes

A frittata comes together quickly and so best to prepare all the ingredients in the recipe and have your "mise en place" - or everything in it's place - in order before you begin cooking.